Electric plug connecter



Patented sept. 241e3sf UNITI-:D STATES PATENT OFFICE merino PLUG comdran Hm Il. Wermine, Chicago.' Ill., assigner to Belden Manufacturing a corporation of Illinois Company, Chicago, lll.,

Application :une es, 1930, serial No. 433,764

' schim. (ci. 11a-ce1) This invention relates to an improvement lin electric plug connectors and particularly to connecters of the male type.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a practically indestructible connecter plug in which the parts' are maintained in assembled relationby means of a'resilint element; to provide such a connecter in which the component parts are of simple formation and such as to be easily manufactured in quantity production; to Y provide a plug of the class described in which the parts are effectively held in proper assembled rela- Y tion and in which the parts may be assembled with comparative ease; and in general, it is the object shell of the connecter and its interior formation.

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Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l5 is a side elevation of an inner or plug part of my improved connecter.

Fig. 6 is a sectionon the line 6-6 ofFig. 5, and

Fig. rl is a bottom plan of the plug part shown in Figs. 5 and 6, one contact prong being shown in place in the plug part.

Referring now to the drawing, my improved connecter includes an outer or main body part vIII having anenlarged front end I I and a reduced rear end or shank portion I2. The frontend of the body part l0 is provided with a. chamber I3 andthe rear part I2 is hollowed out as indicated .at I4-to receive' a conductor I6. The extreme rear end of the body part is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange part I6 which nts tightly around the conductor I5 as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

An inner or plug part I'I nts in the chamber I3 and is interlocked therewith so as to maintain said parts in assembled relation. Interlocking of the parts is enected by means of an undercut shoulder I8 formed integral with thebody part I0 atlt'he front end of the chamber I3,l and an annular outwardly projecting shoulder I9 formed on the plug part I1 intermediate its length so as .or bottom 26 andare spaced outwardly from the shown in Fig. 2. Conductors 3l, which may conto nt under the shoumer Ic or the body part as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Y

To permit ,the parts to be assembled in above described interlocking relation. either one or both ofthe parts may be formed of resilient ma- 5 terial, for instance rubber. and in the present instance, both parts are formed of such material. Hence, the distortable capacity of either body part may serve to permit theparts tobe assembled in interlocking relation.

In this instance, I have shown a connecter plug for a two wire circuit wherefore the connecter embodies a pair of contact prongs 2li-20. `Each contact prong 2n is formed of suitable metal,for

instance brass, and each extends through the plug l5 part I 1. The plug'part I1 is provided with suitable openings 2I'-2I 4which extend therethrough for removably receiving the respective contact prongs so that the contact prongs are renewable if such renewal should become necessary or desirable for 20 any reason. Near the inner end of each contact prong, there is a laterally outwardly offset porytion 22 which engages the inner end 23 of the plug 'part I1 to prevent outward displacement of the prong. The extreme inner end portion 24 of each 25 prong extends in parallel relation to the main part of the prong and is removably embedded in suitable recesses or sockets 25 formed in the body part III. It will be seen that because of the different diameters of the chambers I3 and the interior of the shank part I2 of the body part, that a shoulder 26 is formed in the body part, which shoulder constitutes the bottom of the chamber I3. The sockets 25 are formed in the shoulder interior I4 of the shank by webs 21-2'| as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Intermediate their ends, and at such a point as to be located within the length of the plug part I1, each contact prong is provided withmeans for connecting an electric conductor to the prong. 'I'his means, in the present instance, consists of a binding post screw 28 which includes an enlarged head 29 and a threaded shankor stern partv3ll which engages a suitably tapped aperture in the contact prong. The length of the threaded stem 30 is preferably such that it projects materially from the face of 'the contact prong as clearly veniently constitute the conductors of a duplex conductor enclosed in a single insulating covering, may be connected to the respective contact prongs by having their end portions (either bare or provided with clips) clamped between the head 29 of 55 each binding post screw and the adjacent side of the contact prong. A

The plug part I1, is provided on opposite sides of the openings 2| with auxiliary recesses I! and 33 for receiving the heads and projecting stem portions respectively of the binding post screws. These auxiliary recesses 32 and 33 are preferably of such size and shape that they snugly receive the respectivebinding post parts and the depths thereof are such that either one or both serve to limit outward displacement of the contact prong by engaging the recessed portion of the binding post. In Fig. 2, I have shown the recesses 33 as being of such depth as to limit outward displacement of the contact prong by engaging the stems 30-30 of4 the respective binding post screws.

The length of the plug part I1`is preferably such that when the parts areA in assembled relation, the inner end 23 of the plug will be seated on the shoulder or chamber bottom 2B. For further supporting the plug part I1, I provide the body part I0 with an inclined seat 34 for receiving an inclined portion 35 of the plug. The inclined portion 35 of the plug may, under some conditions, serve to facilitate insertion of the plug into the chamber I3 inasmuch as it serves more or less in the nature of a wedge for spreading the outer, front end' portion of the body part I0.

For preventing relative vrotation between the body I0 and the plug I1, I provide intertting means formed integral with the parts. In this instance, such interiittin'g means consists of a rib 36 formed integral with and depending from the bottom of the plug I1 and extending thereacross as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 7. The end portions of the rib 36 are received in notches or H recesses 31 formed in the shoulder 26 of the body part. Centrally of the rib 36-36, I provide a depending extension 38 which serves as a separator or spreader for the inner end portions of the conductors as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The above described lstructure may beassembled, first by connecting the contact prongs to the respective conductors and thereafter mounting the contact prongs in either the body part III or in the plug part I1. In the first instance, the end portions 24 of the contacts are seated in the respective sockets 25 whereupon the plug I1 is slid over the contact prongs and into place in the body I0. If the other method is pursued, the contact prongs are inserted into the plug part I1 and properly seated therein, after which the assembled unit is inserted into the body part I0. Of course, it will be obvious that my improved structure may also be assembled by a combination of both of the above methods, i. e. by first positioning the plug part I1 on the outer front ends of the contact prongs so as to position the latter relative to each other, whereupon the partly or incompletely assembled parts may be inserted into the chamber portion of the body part so as to seat the ends 24-24 of the contact prongs in -the respective sockets 25, whereupon vthe plug part I1 may be 4further moved along the contact prongs and into completely assembled and interlocked relation with the body'part. It will be noted lthat the connection between the conductors and respective contact prongs is practically wholly enclosed within the plug part I1. The only opening to the connection receiving recess being at the inner end of the plug part.

I am aware that changes may be made in the above described construction without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the sameI being construed as 'broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

v 1. In a plug connecter, the combination of a 5 .bodyvpart having a chamber in one end, a plug part insertable into said chamber and having interlocking engagement with said body part to maintain said parts in assembled relation, one oi.' said parts being formed of resilient material capable of being distorted to permit assembly of said parts in said interlocking relation', a contact prong mounted in and extending through said plug so as to be thereby maintained in operative relation with said plug part and so as to be removable as a unit with said plug from said body, said prong having a laterally outwardly offset portion intermediate its ends, said intermediate offset portion abutting the inner end of the plug, and the portion of said prong inwardly of said oiIset 20 portion extending in parallel relation to the outer portion of said prong and being embedded in said body part whereby the prong is l#IlllDpOrted against lateral displacement.

2. In a plug connecter, the combination oi?A a 2,5 body part having a chamber in one end, a plug part insertable into said chamber in interfltting relation with said body part, said parts having interlocking means for maintaining the parts in assembled relation and one of said parts being 3Q formed of resilient material so as to permit the parts to be repeatedly assembled and disassembled,

a contact prong extending through and removably mounted in said plug, an inner end portion oi.' said contact prong being bent laterally to engage es the inner end of said plug to prevent outward displacement of said prong, and intertting means formed integral with said plug and body for locking said parts against relative rotation.

3. In a plug connecter, the combination of a 40 body part having a chamber in one end, a plug part insertable into said chamber in interiltting relation with said body part, said parts having interlocking means for maintaining the parts in assembled relation and one of said parts being 45 formed of resilient material so as to permit the parts to be repeatedly assembled and disassembled, a contact prong extending through and removably mounted in said plug, an inner end portion of said contact prong being bent laterally to engage the inner end of said plug to prevent out- ,ward displacement of said prong, said plug having a depending rib extending across the bottom of said plug and formed integral therewith, and said chamber having a recess in its bottom for receiv- 55 ing said depending rib to lock said plug and body against relative rotation.

4. In a plug connecter, the combination oi' a body part having a chamber in one end and a conductor receiving opening in its other end, a plug part insertable into said chamber and having interlocking engagement with said body part to maintain said parts in assembled relation, one of said parts being formed oi' resilient material capable of being distorted to permit assembly of said-parts into said interlocking relationship, a 4pair of relatively spaced contact prongs extending through and removably mounted in said plug, an inner end portion of each oi' said contact prongs being bent laterally to engage the inner end of said plug to prevent outward displacement of said prongs, means for connecting electric conductors to said contact prongs within said body, a depending rib extending across the bottom of said a plug and formed integral-therewith, said chamu ber having a recess in its bottom for receiving `said depending rib, and an extension on said rib.

' chamber in its iront end and a conductor-receiving aperture in its Lother end communicating with said chamber, a plug part fitting in said chamber, said plug part having an opening extending therethrough in outwardly spaced relation to but parallel with the axis of the plug and body parts. means for locking said plug part in said chamber oi the body part. an elongated, wide but thin contact prong extendingthrough and having a portion seated in the opening in said plug part, and having an outer end portion projecting iorwardly from said/plug part, said contact prong having its inner end portion laterally onset in the direction of the thickness of the prong, but having its length extending in the same general direction as` said outer end portion, and there beingia laterally extending prong portion connecting said relatively oset inner and outer end portions, said body part having a socket spaced radially from said conductor-receiving aperture and of a size to tit the oiset inner end portion of 10 thecontact prong, the latter having its offset inner end portion seated inl said socket and the prong being held in normally ilxed position laterrespectively. 

